Patna: Stung by the rout in the last
month's Assembly polls in Bihar, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan
on Wednesday expressed doubt over transparency in voting with EVMs
and said the EC should consider restoration of ballot papers.
"There is no guarantee of transparency in the EVMs
being used for voting by the electors," he told reporters here
citing the examples United States and Germany, which have done
away with them.
A number of political parties, including the Congress
and BJP have also expressed doubt over EVMs, Paswan claimed
and said the EC should consider use of ballot papers for
elections to everyone's satisfaction.
The poll panel could also provide both option, EVMs
and ballot papers, to voters to choose from during voting, the
LJP supremo said.
He said he would raise the demand during a political
parties' meeting with the EC on December 23.
Paswan said he was perplexed with the Assembly polls
results and the outcome defied voting patterns in several
constituencies where his candidates were expected to win.
"Our polling agents should have been present at the
time of checking of the EVMs before commencement of polling to
keep a tab," he said.
Paswan said he has convened a meeting of all 75 LJP
candidates on December 20 to review the poll verdict.
He would take a call on revamping the party structure
following a meeting with block and district level leaders of
the party later this month.
The LJP chief said though his party had accepted the
assembly poll results with all humility, it would closely
monitor the promises made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for
the welfare of the economically-backward communities and land
allotted to the mahadalits.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 19:04